Understanding Haitian Voodoo


Book Description

Part textbook, part life-story, part theological exposé, Understanding Haitian Voodoo comes from a much-respected Haitian gentleman who writes as a lawyer, judge, and evangelist who cares deeply about his people and their bondage in Voodoo. "Voodoo is not simply a myth, toward which we can remain indifferent. It is not just popular culture that we should teach and practice in schools through dances and songs. The gods of Voodoo are not simply idols or harmless gods. They are real beings, intelligent beings, they lust after worship and are full of cruelty." With testimonies from Voodoo priests, followers, witch doctors and more, Understanding Haitian Voodoo is a deep observation of Haitian Voodoo through the eyes of Christian faith, molded in Haitian theology that is biblical, contemporary, relevant and transformational. From his identity as a Christian believer and as a Haitian, proud of his culture, traditions, language and customs, author Emmanuel Félix brings a remarkable contribution to a better understanding of the relationship of Voodoo to Haitian culture, to Christianity, to zombies, community life, religions and beliefs, identity and more. The final conclusion of this majestic work confirms all that man seeks is found in the Almighty God Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, no matter a man's race, culture and beliefs. Whether you're planning to visit Haiti, seeking to pray more intelligently for the work of the Gospel or are simply looking to learn more about the Haitian people, this book is a must-read. Read this book prayerfully, with a Bible at your side and an eye on the realities of life in Haiti. Published by Radio 4VEH, The Evangelistic Voice of Haiti, serving God and the Haitian people through effective Christian broadcasting since 1950. Proceeds from the sale of Understanding Haitian Voodoo support the ministry of Radio 4VEH.




Haitian Vodou


Book Description

Haitian Vodou is a fascinating spiritual tradition rich with ceremonies and magic, songs and prayers, dances and fellowship. Yet outside of Haiti, next to no one understands this joyous and profound way of life. ln Haitian Vodou, Mambo Chita Tann explores the historical roots and contemporary practices of this unique tradition, including discussions of: Customs, beliefs, sacred spaces, and ritual objects Characteristics and behaviors of the Lwa, the spirits served by Vodou practitioners Common misconceptions such as "voodoo dolls" and the zombie phenomenon Questions and answers for attending ceremonies and getting involved in a sosyete (Vodou house) Correspondence tables, Kreyol glossary, supplemental prayer texts, and an extensive list of reference books and online resources Well-researched, comprehensive, and engaging, Haitian Vodou will be a welcome addition for people new to Haitian spirituality as well as for students, practitioners, and academics.




The Spirits and the Law


Book Description

Vodou has often served as a scapegoat for Haiti’s problems, from political upheavals to natural disasters. This tradition of scapegoating stretches back to the nation’s founding and forms part of a contest over the legitimacy of the religion, both beyond and within Haiti’s borders. The Spirits and the Law examines that vexed history, asking why, from 1835 to 1987, Haiti banned many popular ritual practices. To find out, Kate Ramsey begins with the Haitian Revolution and its aftermath. Fearful of an independent black nation inspiring similar revolts, the United States, France, and the rest of Europe ostracized Haiti. Successive Haitian governments, seeking to counter the image of Haiti as primitive as well as contain popular organization and leadership, outlawed “spells” and, later, “superstitious practices.” While not often strictly enforced, these laws were at times the basis for attacks on Vodou by the Haitian state, the Catholic Church, and occupying U.S. forces. Beyond such offensives, Ramsey argues that in prohibiting practices considered essential for maintaining relations with the spirits, anti-Vodou laws reinforced the political marginalization, social stigmatization, and economic exploitation of the Haitian majority. At the same time, she examines the ways communities across Haiti evaded, subverted, redirected, and shaped enforcement of the laws. Analyzing the long genealogy of anti-Vodou rhetoric, Ramsey thoroughly dissects claims that the religion has impeded Haiti’s development.




Vodou in Haitian Life and Culture


Book Description

This collection introduces readers to the history and practice of the Vodou religion, and corrects many misconceptions. The book focuses specifically on the role Vodou plays in Haiti, where it has its strongest following, examining its influence on spiritual beliefs, cultural practices, national identity, popular culture, writing and art.




Serving the Spirits


Book Description

A healing and balanced faith, Haitian Vodou is a member of the African Traditional Religions that came into the Western Hemisphere via the Transatlantic slave trade. Despite a much misunderstood image, Vodou gives its practitioners the tools to understand the world around them. By participating in an annual calendar of observances, rituals and services, servitors can engage with the Vodou "Mysteries" , thereby enlisting their aid in helping lead a balanced life. Manbo Vye Zo uses her own story of becoming manbo or mother of the spirits as a stepping stone for her students and godchildren so they can learn by her example. An educational text as well as story, Manbo helps the reader gain a greater understanding of the faith as she leads us ever deeper into unexplored territory. Come experience the world of Haitian Vodou from an insider's perspective, and leave forever changed in your outlook on the world of Vodou.




Vodou in the Haitian Experience


Book Description

"Studies the connections and relationships between Vodou and African traditional religions, such as Yoruba religion and Egyptian religion. ... The chapters in this collection tell a story about the dynamics of the Vodou faith and the rich ways Vodou has molded the Haitian narrative and psyche."--Back cover.




Nan Domi


Book Description

Offers an insider's account of Vodou's private, mystical, interior practice, discussing the author's own initiation and education in the religion.




Haitian Vodou


Book Description

Haitian Vodou breaks away from European and American heuristic models for understanding a religio-philosophical system such as Vodou in order to form new approaches with an African ethos. The contributors to this volume, all Haitians, examine the potentially radical and transformative possibilities of the religious and philosophical ideologies of Vodou and locate its foundations more clearly within an African heritage. Essays examine Vodou's roles in organizing rural resistance; forming political values for the transformation of Haiti; teaching social norms, values, and standards; influencing Haitian culture through art and music; merging science with philosophy, both theoretically and in the healing arts; and forming the Haitian "manbo," or priest.




A Transatlantic History of Haitian Vodou


Book Description

Connecting four centuries of political, social, and religious history with fieldwork and language documentation, A Transatlantic History of Haitian Vodou analyzes Haitian Vodou’s African origins, transmission to Saint-Domingue, and promulgation through song in contemporary Haiti. Split into two sections, the African chapters focus on history, economics, and culture in Dahomey, Allada, and Hueda while scrutinizing the role of Europeans in fomenting tensions. The political, military, and slave trading histories of the kingdoms in the Bight of Benin reveal the circumstances of enslavement, including the geographies, ethnicities, languages, and cultures of enslavers and enslaved. The study of the spirits, rituals, structure, and music of the region’s religions sheds light on important sources for Haitian Vodou. Having royal, public, and private expressions, Vodun spirit-based traditions served as cultural systems that supported or contested power and enslavement. At once suppliers and victims of the European slave trade, the people of Dahomey, Allada, and Hueda deeply shaped the emergence of Haiti’s creolized culture. The Haitian chapters focus on Vodou’s Rada Rite (from Allada) and Gede Rite (from Abomey) through the songs of Rasin Figuier’s Vodou Lakay and Rasin Bwa Kayiman’s Guede, legendary rasin compact discs released on Jean Altidor’s Miami label, Mass Konpa Records. All the Vodou songs on the discs are analyzed with a method dubbed “Vodou hermeneutics” that harnesses history, religious studies, linguistics, literary criticism, and ethnomusicology in order to advance a scholarly approach to Vodou songs.




Voodoo in Haiti


Book Description

Voodoo in Haiti is a masterwork of observation and description by one of the most distinguished anthropologists of the twentieth century. Alfred Métraux has written a rich and lasting study of the lives and rituals of the Haitian mambos and adepts, and of the history and origins of their religion. It is an accurate and engaging account of one of the most fascinating and misunderstood cultures in the world. “Métraux’s book is a landmark in the serious study of Afro-Atlantic religion. The breadth and subtlety of its approach is such that it remains an essential classic of Afro-American ethnology.”—Robert Farris Thompson, professor of art history, Yale University, author of Flash of the Spirit “This is a work deserving of wide readership, and assured of it by its understanding and appeal.”—Library Journal “This book gives what is surely the most authoritative general account of that complex of belief and practice called vaudou available in the literature....No other observer of vaudou has contributed to its study the exquisite documentation of detail that marks the work of Alfred Métraux.”—Sidney W. Mintz, professor of anthropology, Johns Hopkins University